Zakat Case Study: Lost in Translation

It doesn’t matter how many times and or how many ways Idrees asked, there was no one willing to help him.

Idrees a young and gentle brother originally from Morocco, was a pleasure to meet. When he came into the office he looked dishevelled and wary. What he needed was unclear. There was no urgency in his behaviour. When the caseworker sat him down he asked him what the situation was. Idrees just asked for some cash for dinner. He didn’t want to elaborate on his situation. Though the caseworker could clearly see that there was more than he was willing to share. It turned out that he was sleeping rough and had been struggling to make ends meet.

His story is a long and winding one where he has travelled across the world looking for work and learning new languages. There is something exceptional about him, anywhere he goes he has the knack of picking up the language. From Morocco to Italy to Spain and Germany. Through his ambitions, Idrees secured himself a high-level job in Switzerland where he was paid very well. Unfortunately, Idrees experienced some racism there that forced him to leave the country. So he came to the UK and put his qualifications to one side and looked to work in manual labour.

In desperation, he agreed to the first zero hours contract he came across. It started off well until he was unable to pay his rent. Soon there were no shifts for Idrees and he was forced to leave his accommodation. The best he could find was street corners. Idrees spoke in all the languages he knew, he asked everyone he could but could not find the help he needed.

Idrees came to the National Zakat Foundation for some sustenance and was given support to get him through a difficult period. Within a short space of time, this young and talented man has now secured himself a secure and well paid job, making the most of his language skills. He now wants to give back to the community and save enough so he can go to university.